Current:Home > MyArkansas parole board chair was fired from police department for lying about sex with minor-InfoLens
Arkansas parole board chair was fired from police department for lying about sex with minor
View Date:2024-12-23 16:06:45
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The man appointed to chair Arkansas’ parole board by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders was fired from a local police department several years ago after lying to investigators about having sex with a minor, documents released by the department show.
Jamol Jones, who Sanders named the board’s chair last week, was fired from the Benton Police Department in 2018 for lying to investigators about whether he had sex with a 17-year-old girl, according to his personnel file released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. The documents were first reported Thursday night by Little Rock television station KATV.
Jones lied twice to criminal investigators looking into the relationship, and he initially told them he had only talked with the girl. Prosecutors didn’t pursue any charges against Jones, but he was fired for violating the department’s code of ethics by lying to investigators, the documents show.
According to the documents, Jones told an internal affairs investigator that he did not know the girl’s age but he acknowledged he “should have picked up on some clues” including Snapchat messages where she talked about going to classes all day.
A spokeswoman for Sanders did not say whether the governor or her office knew about the investigation into Jones before she appointed him, or whether Sanders believed he should still serve as parole board chair.
“Jamol bravely served our nation in the Army and protected his community as a police officer providing him with the experience and knowledge to serve on the Post-Prison Transfer Board and the Board of Corrections,” spokeswoman Alexa Henning said in an email.
Sanders last week said Jones’ “prior law enforcement experience makes him a clear choice to take on this important role.” His appointment chairing the seven-member panel expires Jan. 14, 2030.
Jones is an Army veteran who also served as a corporal assigned to patrol at training divisions at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Jones did not say whether he had discussed the investigation and his firing with the governor’s office before the appointment.
“I did not break any laws, no charges were filed, but I made a mistake I’ve asked God and my families forgiveness for, and I take full responsibility for my actions,” Jones said in an email. “I am proud of my service to our country and our state, and the support of my wife and family.”
As parole board chairman, Jones also serves as a member of the state Board of Corrections. The revelations about his firing come as Sanders and the panel have been in an escalating fight over who controls the state’s prison system.
A state judge has blocked a law Sanders signed last year that took away the board’s ability to hire and fire the secretary of corrections. Following that ruling, the board fired Sanders’ appointee to the post.
veryGood! (3829)
Related
- Taylor Swift gifts 7-year-old '22' hat after promising to meet her when she was a baby
- Olympic soccer gets off to violent and chaotic start as Morocco fans rush the field vs Argentina
- CrowdStrike shares details on cause of global tech outage
- 'A beautiful soul': Arizona college student falls to death from Yosemite's Half Dome cables
- Jack Del Rio leaving Wisconsin’s staff after arrest on charge of operating vehicle while intoxicated
- Massachusetts governor signs bill cracking down on hard-to-trace ‘ghost guns’
- Nebraska Legislature convenes for a special session to ease property taxes, but with no solid plan
- ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ dominates at Comic-Con ahead of panel with Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman
- Mandy Moore Captures the Holiday Vibe With These No Brainer Gifts & Stocking Stuffer Must-Haves
- Yellowstone shuts down Biscuit Basin for summer after hydrothermal explosion damaged boardwalk
Ranking
- Ryan Reynolds Clarifies Taylor Swift’s Role as Godmother to His Kids With Blake Lively
- Man charged with murder in fatal shooting of Detroit-area police officer, prosecutor says
- How Kristin Cavallari's Inner Circle Really Feels About Her 13-Year Age Gap With Boyfriend Mark Estes
- Whistleblower tied to Charlotte Dujardin video 'wants to save dressage'
- Why Amanda Seyfried Traded Living in Hollywood for Life on a Farm in Upstate New York
- Senate committee votes to investigate Steward Health Care bankruptcy and subpoena its CEO
- Why Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman hope 'Deadpool & Wolverine' is a 'fastball of joy'
- USA Basketball players are not staying at Paris Olympic Village — and that's nothing new
Recommendation
-
AIT Community Introduce
-
S&P and Nasdaq close at multiweek lows as Tesla, Alphabet weigh heavily
-
Ronda Rousey Is Pregnant, Expecting Another Baby With Husband Travis Browne
-
Watch: Trail cam captures bear cubs wrestling, playing in California pond
-
Shawn Mendes Confesses He and Camila Cabello Are No Longer the Closest
-
Allergic reaction sends Filipino gymnast to ER less than week before she competes
-
Man arrested on arson charge after Arizona wildfire destroyed 21 homes, caused evacuations
-
Single-engine plane carrying 2 people crashes in Bar Harbor, Maine